Two days after a new political party by the name of 'United Akali Dal' was floated in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday said "any new Akali Dal that is formed has no future". Asserting that Shiromani Akali Dal (B) represents the "Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiat in real sense", Badal said that people will reject the newly-floated party in Amritsar.
"...The newly formed United Akali Dal will prove to be a total non-entity in the state politics as the people of state will completely reject it," Badal said. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the convocation of Government Medical College, the chief minister said that the Punjabis were well aware of the fact that "every so called offspring of the SAD is formed at the behest of those people who work against the interests of the state".
The 86-year-old chief minister claimed that as such outfits were "totally bereft" of any ideological commitment, they would have no impact on Punjab politics. To provide an alternative to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, United Akali Dal was formed here last week by the leaders of various sikh organisations.
Recalling the "glorious track record" of the SAD in safeguarding the interests of Punjabis, Badal said the people have "reposed their faith in the pragmatic and pro-people policies of Akali Dal time and again."
The five-time chief minister said that people have given their verdict to SAD for serving two premier institutions of Sikh Panth --the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee -- and this reflects "how they recognise SAD as the only representative of the Punjab and Khalsa Panth".
"Any new party can mushroom up in the state, but no one can match the commitment and dedication of SAD towards Punjab," he claimed. Replying to another query of a rift between SAD and BJP in the state, the chief minister categorically said that all the decisions regarding the state were taken jointly by the SAD-BJP alliance.
He said that the Cabinet comprises of ministers from both the alliance partners and there was hardly any scope of one-sided decision by one partner of coalition.
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